Richard Eckersley, a former Manchester United academy graduate, has revealed he regrets leaving Old Trafford too quickly after making his debut. The ex-defender, who now works in a shop, says he should have stayed at the club to develop further.
Early Promise at Old Trafford
Eckersley came through the academy ranks and made his first-team debut in January 2009 against Tottenham in the FA Cup. He made four appearances for the Red Devils and received a League Cup winners' medal after being named on the bench.
Sir Alex Ferguson gave the young right-back a place in the squad after he impressed against Manchester City's reserves days before the clash with Spurs at Wembley.
Decision to Leave
Eckersley opted to leave United for newly-promoted Burnley just months after his senior debut. He told Manchester Evening News in 2024: "I think the decision to leave United was probably too early for me. I think I probably should have stayed on and developed at Carrington under the coaches that I was already working with, because I was making steady progress."
He added: "I think the jump from the cusp of one of the world's greatest teams, you could say at that time, to Burnley, who had just got promoted but were going to be a struggling team in the Premier League, was a massive jump and a massive education for me, in terms of what is men's football and what is it like to play with players that haven't had the pedigree that people at United had."
"Nothing in football is guaranteed, but I think, in hindsight, I should have stayed on at United. I think I regretted it when I made the decision."
Life After Football
After playing for Burnley, Toronto FC, New York Red Bulls and Oldham Athletic, Eckersley retired at the age of 26. He welcomed a daughter with his wife, settled down in Devon and launched the UK's first zero-waste shop called Earth.Food.Love.
The ex-right-back also fronts plant milk producer ReRooted and has been open about prioritising his family life over football. Eckersley added: "I think that is the biggest thing: seeing their mum and their dad enjoying what they do. We're all intermingling and they are never more than five minutes away from me all the time. That is important for me."
"I am never away from them. It is about trying to be a role model for them and to show them that you can change, do something different and it can still be positive. It is not going to make as much money as what a footballer would have made or can make, but it is more meaningful in my mind to do something you are passionate about, rather than just doing something because it is a popular sport."
